After Lennie accidentally killed Curley’s wife he ran to the bushes by the Salinas river. This is where George told him to go when something bad happened. Lennie didn’t mean to kill Curley’s wife. He is worried about what George will say and do. Now he waits for George to come get him.
While Lennie is waiting by himself he experiences hallucinations. First he starts to see his dead Aunt Clara. She says George was trying to help him but he didn't care. Lennie still did bad things and now he worries his dream of tending the rabbits is never going to come true.
Next he sees a talking rabbit hop out of a bush. The rabbit repeatedly tells Lennie George will beat him up with a stick and leave him. Lennie starts crying and feels horrible about what he has done. He starts to fear that George will leave him and he will never be able to tend the rabbits.
George finally finds Lennie. Lennie tells him he saw the rabbit and heard the rabbit say bad things. George stays calm and listens to Lennie. He comforts Lennie and tells him he isn't mad. Lennie believes George and thinks they have each other's backs and won’t ever hurt each other.
After Lennie starts to feel better George tells him to turn around. George knows Lennie is going to die. Curley will want to kill him for the murder of his wife. He wants to make sure Lennie is at least happy and hopeful. He doesn’t want Lennie to die thinking George hates him. In order to make Lennie feel hopeful he tells him about the dream they had about the little house and the rabbits.
As George pulls out the luger he continues to talk about the rabbits on the farm. Finally he shoots Lennie in the back of the head. Although George did't want to kill Lennie, it was for the best for him. George made sure Lennie died happy, and not brutally murdered by Curley.